During the summer and fall of 2003, a multi-campus project in the University of Wisconsin System entitled Applying Advanced Distributed Teaching and Learning to Pre-Calculus Mathematics was conducted as a proof-of-concept (POC). The project examined a learning-object model designed to address pre-determined teaching objectives in pre-calculus. Among the aspects examined by the project was the assessment of faculty development issues particularly as they related to locating, repurposing, sharing and using existing NSDL and other digital content.

Seven members of mathematics departments from the University of Wisconsin Colleges and the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse collaborated in the project. They goal was to enhance classroom instruction by first identifying teaching objectives (“choke points” in the vernacular) and then find, repurpose and share learning materials that they felt would improve instruction in those areas. Moreover, these materials would ultimately become shareable content objects (SCOs) that conform to the SCORM specifications for content interchange making them not only accessible to the National Science Digital Library (NSDL) but uploadable to SCORM conformant Learning Management Systems .

Stated objectives of the POC were that:

1. two Precalculus modules would be assembled by faculty involved in the project,
2. a prototypical process faculty can use for creating classroom instruction using SCOs,
3. a prototypical collection of SCOs identified from existing precalculus content in digital mathematics collections appropriate to the two modules created, and
4. case studies of each of the instructional participants.

An unstated but related research issue emerged around the usability of The National Science Digital Library, MERLOT, the Eisenhower National Clearing House, and other digital repositories and referatories. The index to further resources, examples and the repository is at http://www.uwsa.edu/nsf_poc

The prototypical project repository has been updated and used during a follwoup project. The template designed during the grant is obtainable from this site.